[obobskivich]

To whom it concerns: I'm planning to order and mod a spare headband with real leather and some supports to give it a more sturdy feel.  I'll try and keep track of the mods and post some pics here later. 

AFAIK, and according to the Koss documentation, the headband is already genuine leather (just like the bag). It's only the earpads themselves that aren't real leather, which (and I'm guessing here) is done to keep the replacement cost down (all Koss pads are $5; they likely couldn't do that if the 950 used genuine leather pads).

 

[davidst]

I agree about the battery pack, and the marketing.
The battery is not very useful if you need to buy batteries all the time.
I am in an area where there isn't an outlet so it could be useful if I can get the proper rechargeables.

 

[johnsonfunky]

Koss ESP-950 can be regarded as an economical electrostatic headphone for audiophile who doesn't want to splurge too much on headphones. I definitely agree that it has a very high Q/P ratio, because of its inexpensive plastic build. It is analytical with a powerful bass. It's also light and comfortable. One can easily spend a few hours listening to it without fatigue. However, I would suggest the manufacturer removing the plastic wrap that covers the electrostatic plates inside the headphone, because it creates noticeable distortion when playing humming bass.

 

[davidst]

  Koss ESP-950 can be regarded as an economical electrostatic headphone for audiophile who doesn't want to splurge too much on headphones. I definitely agree that it has a very high Q/P ratio, because of its inexpensive plastic build. It is analytical with a powerful bass. It's also light and comfortable. One can easily spend a few hours listening to it without fatigue. However, I would suggest the manufacturer removing the plastic wrap that covers the electrostatic plates inside the headphone, because it creates noticeable distortion when playing humming bass.

Why do they have the plastic wrap on the plates is it for protection for the plates or user?
For an electrostatic headphone the price is low but just tell the average Joe you paid 600+ for headphones to see "the look".

 

[johnsonfunky]

 
Why do they have the plastic wrap on the plates is it for protection for the plates or user?
For an electrostatic headphone the price is low but just tell the average Joe you paid 600+ for headphones to see "the look".

To keep the plates out of dust I guess. You will need to disassemble the headphone case in order to see the plastic wrap. Originally I thought the headphone needed some running-in but the distortion remained. I then opened the case and immediately knew the culprit responsible for the distortion. After removing the wraps, the headphone has been playing music very nicely since then.

 

[Kokomo O]

My understanding is that the plastic film wrapping over the stators and drivers is there for two reasons. First is to keep dust out of the drivers. Second is to protect users from electric shock, as the stators are charged to a high voltage.
 
I believe you'll find that pretty much every electrostatic driver has some form of acoustically inert film between you and the drivers, although I've long wondered where it is in Martin-Logans. I know my Quad 63s have it. Indeed, the one time I saw a pair of Quads where the film had been removed was at George Kaye's old shop in Manhattan many years ago, where he was driving them with one of the big Futterman OTL amps, which sounded sublime. He was careful to warn me not to go near the speakers, and told me why. He did say that the reason he'd removed the wrap was to improve the sound a little, although he said he didn't recommend it to civilians. I don't think it's a good idea in headphones either.

 

[HemiSam]

  Koss ESP-950 can be regarded as an economical electrostatic headphone for audiophile who doesn't want to splurge too much on headphones. I definitely agree that it has a very high Q/P ratio, because of its inexpensive plastic build. It is analytical with a powerful bass. It's also light and comfortable. One can easily spend a few hours listening to it without fatigue. However, I would suggest the manufacturer removing the plastic wrap that covers the electrostatic plates inside the headphone, because it creates noticeable distortion when playing humming bass.

 
I very much enjoyed my 950's, but powerful bass is not how I would describe them....at all.
 
Extremely comfortable indeed and good value for money if bought well.
 
HS

 

[Rianoris]

Hail there, the Great obobskivich!
 

 
Your contributions to this thread are always brilliant and helpful - I've read the entire thread.
 
Thanks.

 

[davidst]

AFAIK, and according to the Koss documentation, the headband is already genuine leather (just like the bag). It's only the earpads themselves that aren't real leather, which (and I'm guessing here) is done to keep the replacement cost down (all Koss pads are $5; they likely couldn't do that if the 950 used genuine leather pads).

Curious.Does anyone know what they charge for the headband?

 

[obobskivich]

Curious.Does anyone know what they charge for the headband?

No idea. I'm sure they'd sell it to your separately if you emailed or called and asked directly - I know they'll sell other individual parts like that. I wouldn't expect the price to be extreme, but who knows.

 

[johnsonfunky]

  My understanding is that the plastic film wrapping over the stators and drivers is there for two reasons. First is to keep dust out of the drivers. Second is to protect users from electric shock, as the stators are charged to a high voltage.
 
I believe you'll find that pretty much every electrostatic driver has some form of acoustically inert film between you and the drivers, although I've long wondered where it is in Martin-Logans. I know my Quad 63s have it. Indeed, the one time I saw a pair of Quads where the film had been removed was at George Kaye's old shop in Manhattan many years ago, where he was driving them with one of the big Futterman OTL amps, which sounded sublime. He was careful to warn me not to go near the speakers, and told me why. He did say that the reason he'd removed the wrap was to improve the sound a little, although he said he didn't recommend it to civilians. I don't think it's a good idea in headphones either.

Thanks. Now I understand that the wrapping is to keep the headphone away from dust and protect users from electric shock. But the film really generates an annoying distortion with humming bass, which is not acceptable to me. I would suggest Koss choose another another material which do not cause resonance within the audible range instead of plastic to serve the purpose.

 

[obobskivich]

Thanks. Now I understand that the wrapping is to keep the headphone away from dust and protect users from electric shock. But the film really generates an annoying distortion with humming bass, which is not acceptable to me. I would suggest Koss choose another another material which do not cause resonance within the audible range instead of plastic to serve the purpose.

I'm curious if your set isn't/wasn't defective - I've never heard distortion/buzzing/etc from the 950s even with the bass punched up to silly levels.

 

[johnsonfunky]

I'm curious if your set isn't/wasn't defective - I've never heard distortion/buzzing/etc from the 950s even with the bass punched up to silly levels.

No, my set wasn't defective. The distortion disappeared after I removed the plastic film wrapping, so it proves that the film is the culprit. Let me give you an example, I was using my STS Burn-in CD to run in the ESP950, at the very beginning of track 1 which plays the low organs, I found that the distortion was very apparent. If you have the CD I encourage you to give it a try and you'll know what kind of distortion I'm talking about.

 

[new reformation]

  Sonic Electronix, I am almost sure that this one was their last.
 
3 amp, 9 volts that's 3 times the stock so the extra current is better and needed.
Do you have a link to it?
 

 
 
I actually purchased this one here and use it with an adapter to the proper 2.5mm barrel size: 
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006QZ7RG8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
 
I would advise you be very careful and ONLY get an adapter that is regulated AND exactly matches the 9V requirement listed on the KOSS gear.  Anything else puts your gear at risk and could compromise SQ.

 

[new reformation]

If the headband is real leather, it's still pretty rough looking (in comparison to what it could be...), and could do with some improvement.  I am planning on using some thicker leather on top with some more structural support to increase the sturdiness of the feel in hand, while increasing the overall weight of the band.   Despite some people bashing the ESP950 as cheap feeling, I think that it is mostly the headband that gives this feeling, and that some simple mods and nicer leather would dramatically increase the perceived quality.
 
After the headband mod, I will be looking at making some real leather, memory-foam pads.  
 
I will keep those who are interested posted on how much the spare headband ends up being when I call KOSS.  If KOSS won't release a new version of the ESP-950, maybe we can make our own.  After upgrading my power supply and tweaking EQ I don't really feel like SQ needs much improvement at all.  Potential helps to the sound may come through the use of leather memory-foam pads which may seal better, resulting in better sub-bass as well as a modified headband that is damped to eliminate vibration effects and offers a slight increase in pressure to generate a better seal.
 
Any thoughts from other ESP-950 owners on my modding plans?